Archive for
January, 2019

January 2019 Round Up

January has now passed and we look back on (hopefully) all releases and news within the Irish scene. We won’t be including gig announcements or battle of the bands competitions such as Metal To The Masses. Just releases and news of forthcoming releases or new/departing members. Bands calling it a day too should it happen!

Releases first and then news. In some cases there’s both releases and news so I’ll combine them accordingly.

Releases

Withered Fist

WITHERED FIST is project by TWO TALES OF WOE vocalist Carl Kink and former TWO TALES OF WOE and ACRID NEBULA guitarist Justin Maloney. A top class melodic doom metal EP.

Nautilus

Dublin based doom band Nautilus released a new single ‘Of Death’. The band have returned after a long hiatus and nothing more is known about their plans at this time.

Dream Awake

Belfast based melodic metalcore band Dream Awake released a new single ‘An Ocean Inside’. This band have done well the past couple of years and will probably grow further this year.

Archaós

Cork based alt-metal band Archaós released their first music video for their track ‘Liberation’. From their forthcoming EP ‘Liberation’ The EP is set to be released late February/early March in 2019.

Ophelias Wrath

Dublin based traditional metal band Ophelias Wrath released a new video/single ‘Sands Of Time’. Their first with their new vocalist.

Ritual Effect

Dublin based Alt-metal band Ritual Effect released their debut music video ‘Smear Campaign’ From their album ‘Fossils’ coming in February 2019.

The Sluagh

Dublin based progressive death metal band The Sluagh released a ten minute section from a 30 min song titled “What We Are” taken from The Sluagh’s self titled album which is due to be released in 2019.

Mu Cephei

Doom metal from Dublin. The band formed in 2010 and after a long hiatus are set to release their forthcoming debut album. … The Creepeth Upon The Earth is their first single.

Waylander

Folk metal legends Waylander have released a new lyric video Autumnal Blaze from their forthcoming album Ériú’s Wheel.

News

Vircolac Announce New Album Massqe and Video Premiere At Album Launch

Dublin based black metal band Vircolac are set to release their long awaited album Masque on March 8th. They have announced an album release launch in Dublin’s Voodoo Lounge on April 13th. Presented by Invictus Productions, Sacrilegia and Senzar to support.

The show will also play host to the video premiere of new Vircolac track ‘So I Hang From A Wretched Tree’, with “a visual feast like no other” promised on the night.

Unkindness Of Ravens Announce New Album NIMHNEACH

UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS have promised their fourth album this year – a dark, synth driven album titled NIMHNEACH. It shall be released via Wolftrap Records later this year.

Dead Label Now A Four Piece Band

Kildare based Dead Label announced Mick Hynes as their new guitarist. Mick was previously with This Place Hell and an excellent player. They have been working on material for a few months now and already released their latest single ‘False Messiah‘.

This Place Hell Continuing As A Four Piece

They released this statement:

As most of you probably know, we’ve had to part ways with one of our founding members and best friends Mick Hynes We’re all very proud of him and excited to see what he brings to Dead LabelAs for us, we’re going to continue on as a four piece, we won’t be holding auditions or looking to replace him, but we will be taking some time to figure out what this band is without him Of course this means no gigs for a while, but we will have some unreleased songs for you soon, so keep an eye out for those

Two Tales Of Woe New EP Recorded

Two Tales Of Woe have now finished recording their forthcoming EP. All other details coming soon. This will be a top class doom metal release.

Hedfuzy Sign To Hostile Media

Progressive rock band Hedfuzy recently announced they have signed with Hostile Media. Their album ‘Waves’ is set to be released on February 1st. Their first release with their new line up.

Waylander Announce New Album Eriu’s Wheel

Folk metal legends Waylander announced their long awaited album Eriu’s Wheel will be released on March 22nd. Touring plans have been announced with more news to come.

Antidotes Record New Video/Single Alone

Dublin based Antidotes have recorded and filmed a new video/single Alone. Their first material with their new line up. Release date tbc.

Black Shuck Announce New Bass Player

They released this statement:

***Announcement time***Ladies and gentlemen!

As you may well be aware we have parted ways with our original bassist Steve…. He broke the padlock we used to keep his kennel door closed… The effort of going to collect him from the nice couple who scanned his microchip was not worth it… So we baited a trap with a protein bar and 2 bottles of kiwi lime koppaberg under a very obvious cargo net and reeled in this fuckin unit!

Behold!

The other Doherty!

Spirit Ruiner Announce New EP – Vol 1

Spirit Ruiner are a three piece doom/ sludge metal band hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They are set to release their new EP – Vol 1 on February 1st.

KHÔRA Announce New Album Timaeus

KHÔRA have announce their new album Timaeus. The album is set to have many guests and will be released later in the year.

The band recently dropped a teaser video of what’s to come.

Peasant To A King Launch Debut EP Senatus

Midlands based Peasant To A King launched their debut EP Senatus in Fibber MaGees, Dublin. They have been making a name for themselves over the past twelve months and set to build on that in 2019.

Venus Sleeps New Material Recorded

Doom merchants Venus Sleeps have finished recording their follow up to ‘Dead Sun Worship’. Mixing is progressing. More details to follow soon.

That concludes our round up for January. We shall be doing these monthly this year so please share them and help spread the word of the Irish underground.

We make nothing from this financially so it’s all done to aid the overall scene here in Ireland.

ATHANASIA Preview Teaser Trailer For Upcoming Debut Featuring ex-Members of Five Finger Death Punch, Murderdolls and The Union Underground

Los Angeles-based extreme metal trio ATHANASIA recently issued the first taste of music from the former members of Five Finger Death Punch, Murderdolls, The Union Underground, etc. The short one-minute teaser showcases clips of several tracks from the band’s scorching debut album, The Order of the Silver Compass, due out March 15 via Seeing Red Records and Rock of Angels Records.

Recorded and produced by Bingham over the course of several years at Nightmare Sound, The Order of the Silver Compass is tidal wave of sociopolitical furor, harking back “Nuclear Blast circa 2005” vibes throughout the album’s eight tracks.

Danny Carey: New Tool album will be out in mid-April

The long-awaited LP appears closer than ever!

The start of the new year brought news from singer Maynard James Keenan that Tool had finished recording their first new album since 2006’s 10,000 Days. Now, drummer Danny Carey has apparently revealed that the long-awaited effort will arrive in mid-April.

While at an autograph signing session at the annual music convention NAMM in Anaheim, California, this weekend, Carey was asked by a fan if there was any new news on the Tool album, to which Carey replied, “Yeah, it’s gonna be out in mid-April. That’s the plan, anyway.” The exchange can be seen in the YouTube clip below.

Video and audio quality is very poor but it’s sounding like a confirmation.

Adding weight to the clip above, Metal Injection reports that Gabriel Shaffer, an associate of the band, revealed on Instagram that he heard the entire new Tool album, writing, “Still recovering from last nights hang in Hollywood at the loft. All I can say is I heard something from start to finish, that a number of us have been waiting to hear for over 10 years now. I can confirm it is worth every bit of the wait. The main question is are we worthy of it? #tool”

A mid-April release would mark almost exactly 13 years since the release of 10,000 Days. The spring date would also fall in line with a number of US festival gigs that Tool have lined up, as they’re playing Welcome to Rockville in Jacksonville, Florida, on May 5th; Epicenter in Rockingham, North Carolina, on May 11th; and Chicago Open Air on May 19th. The band is also scheduled to embark on a European tour in June.

I think it’s now official. We can finally start getting excited! Lets hope it was worth the wait… I’m sure it will be though!

Swiss progressive sludge metal unit HEROD will release their Sombre Dessein full-length next month via Pelagic Records. Recorded and mixed by Swiss audiophile Julien Fehlman and mastered by Magnus Lindberg from Cult Of Luna, Sombre Dessein is an album of staggering riffs, intricate yet groovy polyrhythmic patterns, and pure heaviness. The bilingual vocal approach adds an unusual but intriguing aspect to the band’s delivery of their craft.

In advance of the album’s release, the band is pleased to unveil the official video for “Reckoning,” issuing of the clip, “The track ‘Reckoning’ is the first single of the upcoming album Sombre Dessein. The concept behind Sombre Dessein is ‘the rise and fall of dictatorship and benevolent dictatorship.’ This and the modern human condition/the disease of consumerism. ‘Reckoning’ is the chapter of our story where we begin to see the cracks in the foundations… the turbulence and tearing down of initial visions/misinformation. Additionally, it was the first song that has been composed for this album and was always intended to be the single. The aesthetic of the video clip is made out of old footage of ancient civilisations which have collapsed at some point. Our current civilisation will not escape this statement and we might reach the end of it.

“Bonus trivia,” the band continues, “this is the song that the band recorded as a pre-production in order to find the next singer. [Guitarist/vocalist] Mike [Pilat] had reached out to [guitarist] Pierre [Carroz] after a mutual friend had told him of their vacant position. He received an MP3 of the track and took that off with him to Scotland where he was staying for a week, in a rural cottage over one-hundred years old. He borrowed a friend’s mobile rig and screamed down the cottage, then walked around for about an hour outside trying to get a 4G signal to upload it. Needless to say, he got the part.”

Sombre Dessein will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats February 15th, 2019 via Pelagic Records. See all preordering links below:

Sombre DesseinTrack Listing:

1. Fork Tongue Intro

2. Fork Tongue

3. Reckoning

4. Don’t Speak Last

5. Silent Truth

6. Mourning Grounds

7. There Will Be Gods

In related news, HEROD will join The Ocean and Downfall Of Gaia for a full European tour this spring. See confirmed dates below.

HEROD w/ The Ocean, Downfall Of Gaia:

3/13/2019 Im Wizemann – Stuttgart, DE

3/14/2019 PTR/ L’Usine – Geneva, CH

3/15/2019 CCO – Lyon, FR

3/16/2019 Rex – Toulouse, FR

3/17/2019 Les Pennes Mirabeau – Marseilles, FR

3/18/2019 Le Grillen – Colmar, FR

3/19/2019 Le Poche – Bethune, FR

3/20/2019 Mama Roux – Birmingham, UK

3/21/2019 Dolans Warehouse – Limerick, IR

3/22/2019 Voodoo Lounge – Dublin, IR

3/23/2019 Audio – Glasgow, UK

3/24/2019 Brudenell Social Club – Leeds UK

3/25/2019 Trix – Antwerp, DE

3/26/2019 Paard – Den Haag, NL

3/27/2019 Club Volta – Cologne, DE

3/28/2019 Werk 2 – Leipzig, DE

3/29/2019 U Bazyla – Poznan, PL

3/30/2019 Tower – Bremen, DE

3/31/2019 Logo – Hamburg, DE

4/02/2019 Fryhuset, Klubben – Stockholm, SE

4/03/2019 Tradgarn – Gothenburg, SE

4/06/2019 Folken – Stavangar, NO

4/07/2019 Gregers – Hamar, NO

4/08/2019 Vega – Copenhagen, DK

Initially the brain child of guitarist Pierre Carroz, 2014 saw HEROD‘s debut release They Were Nonevia Mighty Music and a subsequent European tour. Following the departure of their original vocalist, former The Ocean (Precambrian) vocalist Mike Pilat was recruited for follow up album Sombre Dessein. Pilat also plays guitar and HEROD is now furnished with a supplementary layer of musicality to complement both the heaviness and soundscape aspects of their palette.

“The concept of the album is about the end of our Judaeo-Christian and thermo-industrial civilization,” comments Carroz. “The artwork and video clip are made up from footage of Shipbreakers, people who dismantle huge container ships which end up mooring to die on Indian or Bangladeshi shores.” HEROD creates a strong musical and visual image of the abysses of the human consumption project, “which turns out to be hell on earth for these people whose every day work involves constantly risking their lives to feed their families.”

Throughout their young four years of presence, HEROD has already shared the stage with such acts as Gojira, Crowbar, The Ocean, Carcass, Obituary, Napalm Death, and Voivod, attesting their repute as the busboys of King Herod, serving up whole sides of rare riffs, disposition, beauty, and authority. Fans of Scarlet, Breach, Yob, Meshuggah, Gojira, and Textures pay heed.

Ingested to Tour UK And Ireland With The Black Dahlia Murder

World Wide Slam Kings and perpetually touring road dogs INGESTED have announced that they will continue to support their massively heavy and critically acclaimed newest album The Level Above Human across the UK and Ireland alongside The Black Dahlia Murder this April.

The group commented, “We are beyond excited to hit the road across the UK and Ireland with our friends in The Black Dahlia Murder. These shows are going to be absolutely out of control so get your arses to one of these dates! See you in the pit!”